


Llyfr Taliesin

by biggayrhys



Category: Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Agriculture, Gay Male Character, Gen, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Sheep, Trans Male Character, Welsh Character, farming, farms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28746417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/biggayrhys/pseuds/biggayrhys
Summary: Taliesin is a farmer from Turffield. He finally decides to go on a gym challenge as an adult.
Relationships: Kabu (Pokemon)/Original Male Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hewwo ;o;

A bit east of Turffield, nestled in by hills, was a small ranch owned by a soft-spoken man by the name of Taliesin. He kept to himself, tending to his flock with only the help of his cousin Paris. 

In the morning Taliesin woke and fed his hounds. There was an Arcanine, Brân, who served to scare off anyone who might bother the flock, and a Boltund, David, who herded it. Brân slept sweetly in Taliesin’s bed, although he ran as hot as you might expect a fire-type to, and was awoken by Taliesin’s alarm along with the man himself. David preferred to doze on the couch in the living room, and woke when the dogs’ breakfast was poured into their bowls. Taliesin then woke his cousin before making breakfast. The two would work through the morning, tending to the sheep and the two Mudsdales that they used on the farm, Epona and Rhiannon. One of the two would make lunch after all the morning’s chores were complete, and then they would begin working again until dinner, at which point whoever hadn’t made lunch would cook. After dinner, the two would sit out on the porch and Paris would play his saxophone for the sheep and the disinterested Mudsdales while Taliesin played with the dogs and his Cottonee, Olwen, or knit. It was a simple, pastoral existence, one that neither Taliesin nor Paris minded too much. 

One evening, Taliesin was tossing a ball to David and Brân, Olwen drifting in the wind and making cheerful squeaking sounds. Taliesin’s favorite sheep, a Flaaffy called Pryderi and a Wooloo named Amaethon, were dozing on the porch next to Paris, who was playing their saxophone. Paris’ Inteleon Dry was bobbing its head in time with the music, sitting next to them. The Mudsdales had gone back into the barn for the night, and the sheep were nestled beneath the scattered trees in the fields as it was a warm evening where they could sleep outside. Paris’ music filled the little valley as Taliesin played with the dogs. As the song came to a close, Taliesin was tackled by Brân, his face smothered with puppy kisses. 

“No! Down, boy!” he called, but the laughter in his voice killed any threat in his words. Paris joined in, snickering at Taliesin’s plight. Eventually, the big doggy rolled off of the rancher, flopping down on the ground and panting happily. Taliesin scratched his ears. 

“Hey, Tal?” Paris’ voice came, uncharacteristically hesitant. 

“What’s up, kiddo?”

“Do you think you’d ever do your gym challenge? I mean, I know you didn’t before, but, I dunno, eventually?”

Taliesin shrugged. “I… don’t know. Maybe. Why do you ask?”

“I dunno, I was just thinking about it the other day. Forget it.” 

The conversation moved on after that, Paris going back to playing his music and Taliesin resuming playing with the dogs. Eventually, both Paris and Taliesin went to bed. 

Taliesin slept poorly that night, plagued by dreams. He’d never seriously considered undertaking the gym challenge; when he was a teenager, he’d needed to aid his parents on the ranch, and then they’d died and he’d been the sole caretaker of the 300-odd acres they’d left to him. More than ten years had passed since that point, and even when Paris had moved onto the farm there had just never seemed a good time to do it. But Paris was 23 now, and they were well-adjusted to farm life. Perhaps he could do the challenge now.

Wouldn’t it be odd, though? To be the only adult in a sea of teenagers doing their gym challenge? He rolled over, hugging the barely-recognizable Wooloo that Paris had knitted for him a year or two back. Paris wasn’t particularly good at knitting, so the poor thing was rather lopsided and silly-looking, but Taliesin cherished it. He squeezed it to his chest as he thought, chewing on his lip. He  _ wanted _ to do it. He wanted to do his gym challenge. He knew Milo would support him, help Paris with the ranch, and he could leave David, to help herd the sheep. The more he thought about it, the more it felt feasible. He  _ could _ do it. 

Taliesin finally fell asleep after this realization. He woke, as always, at five in the morning, and went to wake Paris as well. His baby cousin woke as well, and as they went to shower Taliesin began making breakfast. He finished plating toast, eggs, fruit, and coffee as Paris left the bathroom fully dressed. They sat down opposite to Taliesin and the two began to eat. As Paris munched on some toast, Taliesin finally broached the topic that haunted them all night. 

“I think I want to do my gym challenge,” he said as casually as he could over his coffee. 

“Okay. When do you want to leave, and what do you want me to do while you’re gone?”

Taliesin choked. “That’s it?”

“Yeah, well, I kind of expected this, to be honest. I just want you to have a good time on your challenge, so just leave it to me!”

Taliesin smiled at his little cousin. “You really have grown up. I’ll leave in a week or so, after everything’s in order. All you’ll have to do while I’m gone is feed them and rotate the pastures every five or six days. They’ve been sheared for the year, and I should be back before all the lambs of the year are born. I’ll be leaving David to help you with the herding, and Epona if you need to haul things.” 

Paris nodded, and the two chatted amicably as they finished breakfast before Taliesin went to shower and get dressed as well. After Taliesin was clothed for the day, he and Paris went out to the field. They loaded hay bales onto a cart and hooked the cart to Epona and Rhiannon, who pulled it to the pasture the sheep would be moved to next. Releasing the Mudsdales to graze as they pleased, Taliesin and Paris filled the water troughs for the sheep and Mudslides, then mucked out the barn. The activities took them until lunchtime, at which point they went to eat lunch. Paris cooked while Taliesin fed the dogs again. After lunch, Taliesin went over his spreadsheets of sheep, ensuring that all of them were vaccinated and that nothing urgent would be missed while he was gone. Nothing seemed amiss, so before dinner, he left Paris to watch the sheep with David and went into Turffield riding Rhiannon. 

The ride into town took about an hour at an easy pace. The sun was beginning to set by the time Taliesin slid off Rhiannon’s back in front of the Turffield Pokemon center and returned her to her Pokeball. He walked across town to the stadium, where Milo was still inside working. 

Milo and Taliesin had known each other for a long, long time, being both farmers in the area. They often met up for lunch or tea or just to chat, swapping photos of their sheep. As Taliesin approached the attendant in the stadium, he waved cheerfully.

“Good evening. Milo free for a moment?”

The attendant nodded. “Yes, the last challenger left a few minutes ago. He’ll be out to meet you in a second.”

Taliesin thanked the attendant then leaned against the wall as he waited for his friend. After a few minutes, Milo exited the back of the stadium. He waved cheerfully at Taliesin who straightened up and fell in step. “Come for a walk with me?” he asked.

“Sure!” Milo nodded cheerfully. 

The two men left the stadium and began following a path around the outer perimeter of Turffield wordlessly, letting a comfortable silence envelop them. The cool evening air felt lovely on Taliesin’s skin.

“I think,” he began after a few minutes of quiet walking, “that I’m going to do my gym challenge soon.” 

Milo perked up. “Oh!” He smiled widely. “You’ll love it! When are you leaving? I assume you want me to help keep an eye on Paris.”

Taliesin nodded. “If you would. I’ll probably leave at the end of the week. I worry about getting everything in order first.”

Milo patted Taliesin’s shoulder. “Of course! Your ranch will be in perfect condition when you return. But don’t think I’ll go easy on you when you battle me.”

Taliesin laughed. “Of course not. I’ve got my own pride on the line.”

They chatted casually on the way back to the stadium. Milo showed Taliesin the new Wooloo lambs that had been born recently on his own farm, and they were all so cute and small that Taliesin couldn’t help but coo over them. Finally, when they returned to the stadium, the duo smiled at each other once more. 

“Thank you again, Milo,” Taliesin said genuinely. “I can’t express enough gratitude. I love Paris, but I don’t think I could leave them alone for as long as I’m going to with no supervision.”

Milo simply shook his head. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. I know you’d do the same for me.” 

“Goodbye, then. I’ll see you Saturday?” Taliesin said. 

Milo nodded. “Goodnight, Tal.”

The gym leader went back into his stadium and Taliesin let Rhiannon out of her Pokeball. About an hour and a half had passed, and it was nearing eight o’clock. Taliesin rode back to the ranch faster than he’d ridden to town and arrived back at a quarter till nine. He brushed out Rhiannon and offered her an apple before finally heading back into his house. He finally fell into bed at around ten, Brân curling around him. 


	2. Departure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taliesin leaves Turffield and the farm.

The rest of the week passed relatively quickly, with Taliesin packing in the evenings and getting everything in order. The sheep were as cheerful and silly as always, foolishly bouncing around and playing in the pastures, unaware of Taliesin’s anxieties. 

The hardest part was saying goodbye to Paris. They were practically Taliesin’s little sibling or child, despite being his younger cousin, and thus leaving them behind for what could be several months to go do something as frivolous as the gym challenge felt anathema to him; he hadn’t left them alone for this long since they’d moved onto the farm with him years and years ago. Paris themself was doing remarkably well for the situation, however; they were steady and managing the increased workload well as Taliesin prepared everything for his departure. 

The next hardest part was picking which pokemon to take. He would take Arcanine, Brân, and one of the Mudsdales, Rhiannon, as well; those two would be a bit much for Paris to take care of alone, spirited as they were. The Cottonee, Olwen, had been his mother’s before she had been his, and so he couldn’t leave her behind. Besides, she was too much of a troublemaker for one person to deal with. Then there was his favorite pair of sheep. There was a Wooloo ram called Amaethon that he would take. He was strong, and sturdy, and Taliesin had hand-reared him after his mother had rejected him, nursing him from a bottle every two hours for two months straight. The ram had gotten very attached after that, following him around the pasture like a little duckling. Taliesin didn’t want to leave him behind; he’d never gotten as attached to Paris as he had to him, and he might make trouble. 

The final Pokemon that Taliesin thought to bring along was his most beloved Flaaffy. His name was Pryderi and he was the silliest, most good-natured ram in the entire flock. He had been the first sheep that Taliesin had bought after his parents had died and he was nearly seven years old. He was simply a good boy. Taliesin couldn’t bear to leave him behind. 

He was sitting in the pasture at nearly nine at night. Pryderi was laying his head in Taliesin’s lap, the ram sleeping softly as the man leaned against a tree. Taliesin would leave tomorrow. The idea was bizarre to him. Turffield and his ranch were his home, and he didn’t exactly have big ambitions. He loved his work, he loved his sheep, and he didn’t feel a need to change that. He just  _ also _ wanted to see the world. 

Taliesin stroked Pryderi’s soft face, rubbing the ram’s nose. He wasn’t going to back out now, not after he’d gotten everything ready for his departure. He was just nervous. Pryderi opened one eye, blinking at him lazily and bleating quietly. Taliesin laughed. “Alright, boy, I get it. No more moping.” 

The ram butted up against Taliesin’s hand, asking wordlessly for more pets. Taliesin obliged, deciding to quit overthinking everything. He might as well relax and enjoy his last night at home. 

He slept out in the fields that night, surrounded by his flock. He woke with the sunset at around five in the morning and went back in the house, beginning to prepare for the day. He showered, put on his favorite shirt, binder, and overalls, and padded to the kitchen barefoot where he was met with Paris serving a veritable feast. 

“Hey, Tal! Good morning!”

Taliesin smiled. “Good morning, Paris. Thank you for the food.”    
The younger of the duo served Taliesin a heaping plate of French toast covered in berries and with a generous spoonful of fresh cream. Taliesin dug in quickly, devouring the meal along with coffee and a cup of juice. The two ate wordlessly, both too hungry to chat. When they were finished, Taliesin set his packed backpack by the front door and pulled on his favorite boots, a pair of steel-toed Wellingtons. He stepped onto the front porch, where he could see Paris out in the field watering the sheep and making sure nothing was awry. Whistling loudly, Brân and David came running up to the porch. Taliesin pulled a Poke Ball off his belt and returned Brân to it before placing it back on his belt. He went and did the same to Olwen and Rhiannon before heading to the pasture with Paris. 

Paris waved cheerfully as he came over. 

“Hey, big bro!”   
Taliesin smiled and waved back. “Hey, baby bro. Do you need any help before I leave?”

Paris shook their head. “No, I think I’m good.” They did come over, and look up at Taliesin. “Give me a hug before you leave?”

Taliesin smiled. “Of course.”

He leaned down and wrapped his arms around his little cousin, tucking them against his chest. “I’m going to miss you so, so much. I love you.” 

Paris patted his back. “I love you too. Be safe.”

“I’m more worried about you getting stuck in a tree, you silly goose,” he sighed, letting Paris go after another few beats. “Alright. I have to go now or I’ll be here all day.”   
“Bye, Tal. You’re going to kick ass!”   
Taliesin smiled and squeezed Paris in one more quick hug before he captured Amaethon and Pryderi in two more Poke Balls. With all five of his Pokemon in balls, he supposed there was nothing else to do; he got his backpack from the front room and set out. 

He released Rhiannon from her ball and rode on her back. He rode south on Route Four towards the Galar Mine, greeting everyone he saw on his way. Rhiannon trotted along at a steady pace, and he arrived at the mine after only an hour or so. Rhiannon was far too large to enter the mine, so he returned her to her ball and continued in the mine on foot. The mine was creepy, dark, and damp, and Taliesin carefully avoided the wild Pokemon there. He  _ really  _ didn’t want to get involved in a battle in the mine, where he might accidentally bring down a mineshaft. Passing through the mine so carefully took another two hours, and by the time he emerged out the other side he was exhausted. He spread a blanket out on the grass outside, releasing all his Pokemon to play for a bit. He got out a cookpot and collected some wood, started a fire, and made some curry for lunch. Brân napped on the blanket on the grass next to him as Pryderi, Olwen, and Amaethon played. Rhiannon was grazing on the wildflowers and the grass nearby as he cooked.

After lunch, Taliesin washed the pot in a nearby stream and packed everything back up, returning all the Pokemon to their balls except for Rhiannon, who he climbed atop again. They continued at a trot east on Route Three towards Motostoke, which took another hour and a half at their easy pace. When they approached the gate, Taliesin climbed down and returned Rhiannon to her ball; she was a temperamental mare, and he didn’t want to risk someone touching her and getting kicked or bitten, or someone getting trampled by accident. 

Motostoke was huge; it was so much bigger than Turffield that it was bizarre. Taliesin rested his hand on Pryderi’s ball as he walked through the city. He stopped in a boutique, although he didn’t see anything worth buying in there, and poked his head into every shop he was even a little interested in. He was more than a little starstruck by the size of the city. Finally he got tired of wandering around and seeing the sights, so he finally went over to the stadium.

As he went over to the massive building, he bumped into a handsome older man wearing a coat despite the fact that it was April. He flushed, bending to help him up as the man was knocked onto his ass. “Sorry! Aw jeez, I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.” 

The man shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. Are you looking for something?” 

Taliesin nodded. “Yeah… I’m supposed to go to the stadium to register for my challenge, but I have to admit I’m a little nervous,” he chuckled awkwardly. 

The other fellow smiled. “I’ll come with you. I’m Kabu.”   
Taliesin’s brain hit a snag. “Like… the gym leader?” He hadn’t recognized him with the coat on and his hair tousled from the breeze. 

“That’s the one,” Kabu said as he escorted Taliesin into the stadium. 

Taliesin simply made a small noise like a dying animal before shutting himself up, nodding, and following. He had absolutely no complaints. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment if you enjoyed :)

**Author's Note:**

> please comment if you enjoyed! or even if you didn't lol, lmk what you thought and how i can improve <3


End file.
